Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the construction and manufacture of tubular pole members having a distinctive appearance of black carbon fiber, and more particularly to such a pole or contoured support member and method of forming same at a substantially reduced cost of manufacture.
Description of the Related Art
Tubular poles and structural contoured members formed of sleeve carbon fiber are well known. The enhanced strength and overall appearance of the black carbon fiber material greatly enhances the strength and aesthetic value despite the greatly exaggerated cost of manufacturing such a product in lieu of similar conventional tubular aluminum product. However, the well-known method for manufacturing such a carbon fiber pole which may typically only be made in a shorter, straight configuration in the carbon fiber industry is through the use of high-tech procedures such as autoclaving and microfilament machines which enable the removal of a mandrel prior to the complete curing of resin saturated into the carbon fiber material. Moreover, when manufacturing smaller diameter carbon fiber tubular members having a diameter of less than 1″, removal of the support mandrel becomes exceedingly difficult.
Further, because the cured carbon fiber tubular structure cannot be formed to produce a curve such as for a bow support for a bimini top of a boat, there are no such carbon fiber products in the marketplace at this time.
The present invention provides both a structure and a method for producing both straight tubular and curved tubular support members formed of carbon fiber to provide the strength and distinctive appearance of the black sleeve while substantially reducing the cost of manufacture by simply leaving a sacrificial tubular mandrel in place within the end product structure. A mandrel is any tube made of a synthetic or fibrous material that has the properties of being round, hollow and lightweight. Examples of a synthetic pole may be PVC tubing, plastic tubing or fiberglass tubing. Such a mandrel is preferably in the form of either a light-weight tubular polyvinylchloride (PVC) tubing or cardboard tubing which are left in place and cured and become a monolithic part of the entire structure.
The present invention improves upon our prior inventions by utilizing a compression curing process for providing a carbon fiber tubular component having a superior outer finish and appearance.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed as being merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by modifying the invention within the scope of the invention. Accordingly other objects in a full understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention, the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.